


Adam Parrish's List of Cages

by Themahlyenkidyavol



Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Child Abuse, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Ronan Lynch Loves Adam Parrish
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 12:47:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29010786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Themahlyenkidyavol/pseuds/Themahlyenkidyavol
Summary: Adam Parrish lives with his abusive uncle after his parents die. When Adam doesn't show up to school one day, Ronan decides he has had enough. He needs to get Adam out of that house. But what he discovers about Adam's home life is more disturbing than he imagined.
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is inspired by the book "A List of Cages" by Robin Roe. I highly recommend this book. This is the first fic I have ever written, so I hope it isn't too terribly cringy. 
> 
> Also I am reading the Raven Cycle series in a foreign language as practice and I'm only on book 3, so I'm basically just making this shit up as I go. I'm sorry if the characters don't really seem like themselves or if any details are off. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy.

"Fuck....no...." ronan growled as he stood up throwing his bag over his shoulder and rushing out of the classroom. "Ronan!" Gansey called out. But it was no use. He began to run, flying down the stairs and out the door to the BMW. He was going to kill that son of a bitch.

The night before:

"Come on Parrish, the pizza will be here any minute and then I'll drive you straight home I promise. What's the last thing you ate? That shitty chicken sandwich at lunch?"  
"I'm fine Ronan. I really need to go home. My uncle needs me to..." Adam's stomach rumbled, betraying him. He hadn't eaten in nearly 7 hours and he had to admit pizza sounded pretty good, especially when he remembered there wasn't any food at home.  
"Fine."  
"I'm sorry what was that?"  
"Just a couple slices."  
"There's like a bear or somethin' growling outside, could you speak up?"  
"I said you're a dick."  
That seemed to satisfy Ronan as he let himself fall onto the couch with a smirk on his face. He looked up, stealing a glance at Adam's face. God he was beautiful. He was falling for Adam hard and that was making him uncomfortable. 

When Gansey first started hanging out with Adam, Ronan didn't understand it. What did Gansey even see in him? He barely even talked. Every time he saw them together Gansey looked like he was rambling on about whatever like he always did and Adam was just.. there, like a brick wall with this stupid look on his face. Maybe he was just jealous. Gansey was his best friend and he couldn't help but get a little pissed off every time he saw Gansey talking and laughing and having a good time with someone else. 

But as time went on he started hanging out with Adam more and more and he realized that he just needed to give Adam the chance to open up. Once Adam was comfortable being around him, his true personality came out. He had to admit, the fucker really grew on him. It turns out, Adam was just as crazy as he was. But they were opposites in a way. Ronan was an intense kind of crazy whereas Adam was more of a wacky kind of crazy.

At times he reminded him of a child. No matter what Adam was going through, Adam always seemed to be in a good mood. That's one of the things Ronan liked most about him. How carefree he was. Adam always knew how to cheer Ronan up or make him laugh. Adam didn't like to be serious and he absolutely despised drama. He had enough drama to deal with at home. 

If Ronan and Gansey ever got into arguments, he would stay as far out of it as possible, refusing to take sides. Adam wasn't one to argue. He hated raised voices and the dark atmosphere that seemed to accompany it. He has had countless one sided arguments with Ronan about how he should move out but every single time Adam would just shut down and avoid him for days and Ronan would get wasted and drag race until Gansey would finally tell Ronan to make the first move and apologize. Which for Ronan would look more like this: "hey... so you wanna come over after school? We could watch this movie I heard about where a tire kills people", and Adam would agree with that big stupid grin on his face that Ronan loved so much. Then everything would go back to normal again as if the whole thing never happened.  
Rinse and repeat.

But Adam only seemed to show that side of him in private. When he got around other people, he would turn back into the shy kid that barely talked. Looking at him, you wouldn't know that just under the surface was a completely different person. But Ronan secretly liked that. It was like having his own personal Adam that nobody else knew about. Now whenever he got a pang of jealousy as he saw Gansey and Adam walking together he wasn't so sure anymore if he was jealous of Adam for being around Gansey or if he was now more jealous of Gansey for being with Adam. 

There was a knock at the door.  
"Finally!" Ronan said jumping off the couch and opening the door. He grabbed the pizza box and replaced it with a twenty dollar bill in the outstretched hand.  
"Keep the change" he said and murmured" ya filthy animal.." once he had closed the door.  
"Jesus, you're embarrassing." Ronan wasn't sure if that was because of the Home Alone reference or because he basically slammed the door in the delivery man's face. "eat up."

Ronan finally finished his first slice just as Adam scarfed down his second. "Come on Ronan. I have to go"  
"You eat like a pig, just give me a few minutes."  
"Ronan! I needed to be home over an hour ago. My uncle's probably going to be home any minute!" He paused for a moment waiting for Ronan to respond. 

"Forget it. I'll just walk." Adam huffed as he made his way to the door. "Alright, alright I'm coming" Ronan said as he grabbed his keys, bringing a slice of pizza with him. 

"Our offer stills stands, you know? We can just drive back and you can stay with us, permanently. We can pick up your stuff sometime when hes not home. You don't have to put up with his shit, Adam." Adam sat silently for a moment staring at his uncle's truck before getting out of the car.  
"I'll see you tomorrow" he said, closing the door without waiting for a response. 

Adam's eyes were instantly drawn to his uncle sitting on the couch. "Do I ask too much of you? Is that it?", his uncle began. Here it is. He did it again. He had tried so hard not to piss his uncle off. He walked on eggshells for months and managed to avoid any confrontations, but he always managed to screw it up sooner or later. Why did he let Ronan talk him into hanging out after school? Don't blame Ronan you piece of shit, you could have told him no. He thought to himself. He was the only one to blame. He deserved to be punished. 

"I lost track of time. I'm sorry."  
"You lost track of time." Robert always had a way of repeating what he said in a condescending tone, making him feel stupid.  
"I told you I was having parts delivered to the house and that I needed you to be here when they arrived. Now what was so damn important that you couldn't be here?"  
" Were they there when you got home?" 

His uncle stood up and punched him hard in the face causing him to stumble backwards. Adam's hands shot up to his face as his nose began to gush blood.  
"After all I've done for you all these years this is how you repay me?"  
He punches Adam again near his eye, this time it causes him to fall.  
"One simple thing and you couldn't do it." He says as he swings his foot, kicking Adam in the rib cage. "Come on, get up." He says, motioning towards the dining room. Adam could physically feel his heart sink. 

Adam hears the familiar sound of a camera turning on. "Take off your shirt". Robert demands and Adam obeys pulling his shirt up slowly with one hand while his other still holds his nose. Robert punches him again, knocking him to the ground once more.

Robert begins to kick his arms and abdomen. Adam folds his body into the fetal position and tries to protect his stomach with his legs. His uncle continues to kick him until he hears him cry out in pain. He then bends down and grabs Adam's bicep forcing him to stand up. He pushes him backwards slamming him into the wall and begins to punch him over and over and over again. 

Robert could feel himself getting angrier. Something is different about tonight. He doesnt know what it is but something just clicks in his brain. He can feel himself losing control. He lifts Adam's chin roughly. Adam looks him dead in the eye and Robert is overcome with a burst of rage. He wraps his fingers around Adam's throat and squeezes hard. Adam's eyes widen with fear. Robert had never choked him before. 

A few moments pass and Adam can feel his face start to get cold and his lips go numb. His hearing seems fuzzy as if there were cotton stuffed in his ears and he can hear a slight ringing. His vision is getting blurry now. Was this his last night on earth? He thought. 

He felt a huge wave of sadness wash over him as Ronan Lynch's face flashed through his mind. His body wouldn't hold out much longer. He could feel himself slipping away.


	2. Chapter 2

Adam felt a huge wave of sadness wash over him as Ronan Lynch's face flashed through his mind. His body wouldn't hold out much longer. He could feel himself slipping away. Then suddenly.......Robert lets go. Adam inhales deeply causing him to cough hard as he falls to his hands and knees. Robert stares at Adam for a few moments before he turns off the camera and walks away.

Adam allows himself to fall onto his side. Dizziness overwhelms him and his body begins to tremble. He can taste the blood dripping from his nose. Or was his mouth bleeding too? He didn't really care at this point. 

Adam always thought he owed his uncle for taking him in after his parents died. His uncle didn't even like kids, but he agreed to take him because he was family. His uncle can have a short fuse sometimes but then again, Adam always seemed to fuck everything up on his own. His uncle wouldn't beat him if he hadn't always given him a reason to. What was wrong with him? Why couldn't he just be the well behaved nephew his uncle had tried to raise him to be. 

But he had to admit his uncle's actions tonight scared the shit out of him. He honestly thought he was going to die. He wouldn't have even gotten to say goodbye to his friends. Maybe I should move in with them, he thought. Maybe I could just leave and Robert wouldn't even care. Maybe he would be happy to be rid of me and Ronan and Gansey wouldn't have to get the police involved, like they always threatened.

But then doubts started to pop into his head. What if they only offered you to stay with them to be nice? Maybe they don't really expect you to say yes. You shouldn't get your hopes up. They probably don't want to deal with your shit either. This is his last thought before he slips into darkness.

The next morning, Adam is ripped from his sleep by a foot nudging into his bruised chest. "Hey! Wake up. I already called the school, told them you're sick. I expect this to be cleaned up by the time I get home." His uncle said motioning to the small pool of dried blood around Adam's face. He leaves without saying another word and Adam slips back into darkness. 

Adam's seat is empty when Ronan gets to class. But then again so is Ganseys. Ronan got to class a little earlier than he usually did. He was anxious to see if Adam was okay. Panic started to set in after he dropped Adam off at his house. He couldn't get hardly any sleep. The guilt ate away at him. He imagined Robert hitting him over and over and Adam just standing there taking it, not even bothering to fight back. 

How could he be so stupid to pressure Adam into coming over and staying late. What was he thinking? He knew how Robert could get. He had seen the consequences time and time again. But he was selfish. He wanted to spend time with Adam. At the time, he didn't think about what the aftermath could be. But now? Fuck! He wanted to scream.

It was 7:56 when Gansey walked in. He barely got a chance to sit down before Ronan blurted out "have you seen Parrish?"  
"Not since yesterday in 5th period. Blue wanted to hang out after school. I thought he came over to our place yesterday"  
" He did, I meant today, on your way to class...just ..never mind. It doesn't matter. He's probably running late." He trailed off staring intensely at the clock on the wall.

Ronan got angrier as each minute passed. Adam doesn't come to class late. He cares too much about school. The only time his ass isn't in his chair by 8 o'clock is when he isn't there for the rest of the day either. And the only time he doesn't come to school is when.....

Ronan finally snaps when the teacher starts to call names. He can feel his blood boiling. "Fuck...no..." Ronan swings his backpack over his shoulder and rushes out the door ignoring Gansey calling his name. He promised himself last night as he struggled to get any sleep that if anything happened to Adam because he made him late getting home that he was going to take care of his piece of shit uncle once and for all. He didn't care how much it would piss Adam off. He wasn't going to leave that house without Adam coming with him. 

Ronan parked his car in the street. Robert's truck wasn't in the driveway. He raced to the front door and started to pound his fist against it. "Adam!" He peered through the window. He had never seen the inside of Adam's house before. He only ever stayed in his car as he dropped him off or picked him up. Adam said he wasn't allowed to have people over. It just might be the cleanest house Ronan had ever seen. He wondered if Adam was even allowed to sit on the couch. But there was something out of place on the floor that caught his eye. A few brownish red spots. Was that...blood? "Adam!" He pounded again. Then he waited, looking around the room for any sign of Adam, straining his ears to hear any footsteps or squeaking floorboards, but there was nothing.

Ronan made his way to the side of the house where he found a window covered with blinds opened just barely enough for him to see through. There he was, just lying there in the center of an empty room, his back facing the window. Ronan could feel his heartbeat spike. Fuck, he almost looked...dead. No! He quickly pushed the thought out of his mind. He knocked on the window hoping to wake him. "Adam! Hey! Adam! ADAM!" Adam stretched his leg out. He wasn't dead. Ronan let out a breath that he didn't realize he had been holding in. He pounded on the window a few more times, but Adam didn't move again. He had to get in there. 

Adam woke up to a loud pounding in his ears. At first he mistakes it for blood rushing through his brain but then it stops abruptly. He moans, stretching his leg out. Was he just imagining it or was somebody calling his name? They sounded angry. The pounding was back. And then it was gone again. Was somebody at the door? The UPS truck had already delivered his uncle's parts yesterday. Adam lied there for a few more seconds before it dawned on him. His body shot up. It must be his uncle. Had he forgotten his keys?

Ronan went back to the front of the house looking around trying to come up with a plan. He spotted faded red bricks along the side of the porch. He looked back to the street and the surrounding houses making sure nobody was around. Satisfied, he pulled one of the bricks out of the dirt and prepared himself to break the window on the front door. He was panicking now. His mind was too scrambled to think about how much his arm would need to stretch to reach the lock on the other side. He just knew he had to get to Parrish. Just as he was about to throw the brick, he heard the lock click. The door opened half way and Adam came into view.


	3. Chapter 3

The door opened half way and Adam came into view.

Jesus... Ronan was not prepared for the sight in front of him. He had never seen Adam like this before. He had seen him with bruises before, sure. Several times even, but he only ever caught glimpses of them as they peeked up just slightly over the top of his shirt, or when Adam would momentarily forget and roll up his sleeves, desperate for relief in 90° heat. Robert was too careful. He made sure to hit Adam where the evidence could be easily hidden, and Adam was too careful. He would quickly adjust his shirt or roll down his sleeve the moment he would notice Ronan or Gansey staring just a little too long. This time was different though. There was blood caked under his nose and around his mouth. A huge bruise covered most of the left side of his face and it looked like he was struggling to keep his eye open. Red and purple bruises were scattered all up his arms and torso and his.....neck.  
There were marks on his neck.

"Ronan?"  
Ronan let his arm fall, tossing the brick off to the side. "Fuck" he whispered. "Holy fuck"  
"FUCK!" He yelled. "Fuck Adam I'm sorry. I'm so fucking sorry. FUCK!", he yells again. He doesn't give Adam the chance to respond.  
"Come on, we're going to Monmouth. Pack your stuff." Adam appeared a little dazed, like he didn't know where he was. Ronan wasn't sure if Adam could even comprehend what he was saying until he finally sighed, "I can't."  
"Don't give me that bullshit, Parrish. This was the final straw. You're moving in with us. I'm not taking no for an answer this time. Even if I have to wait out here all day, I'm not leaving here without you and if that piece of shit shows up here in the meantime I'm going to kill him. I promise you Parrish, and you know I don't lie. I will fucking kill him." 

Ronan stared at Adam. He looked so exhausted, so....broken. It physically hurt Ronan to see him like this.  
Adam took a few moments to contemplate. Ronan wasn't sure if he was ever going to respond. Finally, he muttered "fine", before disappearing, leaving the door open. 

Ronan took a step into the house. His eyes once again drawn to the blood drops on the floor. He entered the home, catching Adam out of the corner of his eye as he walked down a hallway. He wasn't sure if he should enter or not. Should he just wait for Adam outside? But his curiosity got the better of him. 

He took a few more steps inside and spotted the dining room. It was the empty room with the beige walls where he saw Adam laying motionless. He made his way to the dining room, his eyes taking a quick glance down the hallway. Adam was gone. There was more blood on the floor. A small dried up puddle. Next to it was Adam's school shirt with brownish red stains near the collar. Then something else caught his eye. A tripod. 

"What the fuck?" He muttered to himself. He reached for the camera immediately and turned it on. Little squares filled the entire screen. Videos. Each one had the same beige background and Adam's face was visible in most of them. The sick fuck recorded it? 

His mind went blank. The first video began to play. He didn't even remember pushing the button. Adam was just standing there holding his nose, blood seeping through his fingers. "Take off your shirt." Robert's voice boomed. Realization began to set in. It was the shirt that was lying on the floor. This video was from yesterday. Ronan was stuck in a trance. He watched helplessly as Robert delivered blow after blow. He felt sick to his stomach. The boy in the video screamed out in pain. He thought he might actually throw up. He didn't even notice when Adam entered the room. 

"Ronan?" Adam couldn't believe his eyes. This must be a nightmare. It has to be. Right? Please, God, tell me I'm still asleep. Ronan was watching one of the videos. His secret was out. Ronans eyes shot up, startled. The camera fumbled in Ronan's hands as he struggled to turn off the video.  
"Get out." Adam almost growled.  
"What?"  
"Get. Out." Adam repeated.  
"Adam, we have to give this to the police."  
Adam felt his heart rate quicken. "No! We cant take it. If he sees that it's gone, he'll kill me!"  
"He's never going to come near you again, Adam. Don't you get it? These videos are evidence. He's going to go to prison."  
"Give me the camera." Adam demands reaching his arms out.  
"No, Adam." Ronan responds firmly taking a step back.  
"I'm not coming with you." Adam says, his face losing all emotion.  
Ronan is taken aback. How could he still want to stay after everything that's happened?  
"Yes you are, Adam! You're not staying here."  
Adam thought about everyone that would see the videos. The police officers, the judge, lawyers. They would see him at his most vulnerable. His eyes began to water. It felt like the whole world was crashing down all around him.  
"Please, Ronan. You can't show that to anyone. Please", he begged. The humiliation was unbearable. He felt like crawling under a rock and never coming back out. Ronan's face softened.  
"Alright...I won't show it to anyone, okay? But we need to take it with us just in case." He says just to appease him. His eyes scan over Adam's torso, stopping for a second at his neck before looking back to his eyes. "You can't keep living here, Adam. You have to come with me. Have you looked at yourself? I mean, fuck, he could have killed you. What if he actually does next time? You'll be safe with us. At monmouth."  
Adam doesn't say anything. Ronan takes it as an acceptance and shoves the camera into his pant pocket. "Come on. Let's pack your stuff." 

Adam's room was a sad sight. The walls were completely bare and painted the same beige color as in the dining room. A twin sized mattress laid in the corner of the room. Across from it sat a small dresser with chipping white paint. That was it. That made up the entirety of Adam's room; a mattress and a dresser. This is what Adam came home to every day. What did he even do for entertainment? He imagined Adam staring at the ceiling for hours. The thought depressed him. No wonder his homework was always done. 

Adam only owned one back pack which was already filled with his school stuff, and it only took two more trips to the car to transport the rest of Adam's belongings in their arms. As they were about to drive off Ronan looked over to the passenger seat. He could only see the back of Adam's head. Adam's eyes were fixated on the house.


	4. Chapter 4

The pig was parked out front when they got to Monmouth. Gansey wasted no time interrogating him. "Where did you go? I was worried. I called you six times!" Ronan pulled out his phone. There were six missed calls. "Ah, so you did." Gansey rolled his eyes before he caught sight of Adam.  
"Geez" he almost winced. His eyes darted back to Ronan involuntarily, trying to avoid looking at Adam's face.  
"What the hell happened?"  
"What do you think? His fuckin uncle beat the shit out of him again. He's moving in with us." This took Gansey by surprise. "Really?" He thought he would never hear those words. He couldn't help but smile. He had tried for so long to convince Adam to move in with them. He looks to Adam for confirmation. Adam forces a smile. This was enough for Gansey. He goes to give Adam a hug, squeezing a little harder than he should have. He releases instantly when he hears Adam make a pained moan. "Shit. I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. Are you okay?"  
"Yeah, I'm fine." He says, looking to the ground. Having all this attention on him was making him uncomfortable. 

Gansey changes the subject. "Are you hungry? I could make you a sandwich."  
"uh, sure. Thanks. Ronan almost broke down my door before I got a chance to eat", he says smirking. How does he do it?, Ronan asks himself. It's as if he just caught him after a night of getting shit faced drunk and not after getting beaten half to death. How can he just slap a smile on his face and go about his day and act like last night didn't happen? Was this some sort of coping mechanism?

"Yeah, that sounds about right. Ronan the barbarian."  
"Oh, excuse me for freaking the fuck out. I thought my friend was dying on the other side of that door. My apologies", Ronan snaps as he heads back downstairs.  
"Ronan, you want a sandwich?" Gansey calls after him. "SURE", Ronan calls back. Adam follows Ronan downstairs. He already has an arm full of clothes when Adam reaches the entrance of the building. As he walks toward him, Ronan notices for the first time that Adam is walking with a slight limp.  


Ronan puts Adam's things into the spare room... into Adam's room. The thought hadn't really hit him yet. It was Adam's room now. Adam was going to be living here. Everything was going to be so different now. There would be no more driving him home before it got too late. No more worrying if he was going to be safe when he got there. No more nights lying in his bed lonely and bored out of his mind while Gansey was out with Blue doing whatever one does with a garden gnome, where his only relief was falling asleep early and meeting with the Adam he had dreamt up for himself. Now he would have the real thing with him, always just a few steps away. His heart swelled. 

He goes into the kitchen area not noticing that Adam wasn't upstairs yet. Gansey is spreading peanut butter on a slice of bread. "You could help, you know?" "You have to learn to be independent some day Gansey." Gansey scoffs. "I'm literally making this sandwich for you."

Adam grabs the remainder of his stuff from the car and makes his way back to the building. He stops suddenly when everything starts to spin. He can feel the blood drain from his face. Fuck, he's going to be sick. He was on the verge of gagging but he knew there was nothing in his stomach to throw up. He shifts the items around in his arms freeing up his right hand. He cups it around his mouth, hoping it will make the feeling go away. He needed to lie down.

Gansey hands Ronan a sandwich. "Here. This is the one I spit in. Enjoy"  
"Thanks for the heads up, Dick. I'll make sure not to tell Adam when I give it to him." Gansey snorts. "You're such an asshole." He goes to the living room with the sandwich. Adam isn't there. Maybe he's in his room.

Nope. 

He goes back to the kitchen as if he could have just missed him. He wasn't there either. "Where'd he go?" "You lost him already?" Just then Adam comes back upstairs. He tries to keep himself upright by leaning against the doorframe.

"Are you alright?" Ronan asks. "Yeah, I'm fine", he mutters. His eyes are closed.  
"Stop saying you're fine, Parrish. You're clearly not fine." His skin apart from the bruise on his eye is ashen.  
"Shit, hey, you need to sit down."  
Adam doesn't move. "Parrish!" Still nothing.  
Ronan shoves the plate in his hand towards Gansey, releasing his grip on it before Gansey even has time to reach for it. The plate shatters to the ground, but Ronan doesn't stop to look back. He rushes towards Adam.  
Adam's eyes are open now. Ronan grabs the items from his arms, tossing them quickly onto a chair. He pulls on his upper arm trying to help Adam towards the couch but he won't budge. "Come on, Adam. You need to lay down. You're going to pass out." Adam takes a step forward, squinting hard at the floor. He stops again.  
"I can't see." Ronan stops pulling. His eyes shoot up to Adam's before looking at Gansey questioningly. He looks back to Adam. "What do you mean you can't see?"  
"I mean...I can see, but...everything's gray." He slurs slightly.  
"Fuck!" Ronan let's out. "Do you think you have a concussion? I should have taken you to a hospital."  
"No!" He bursts out. "I don't need to go to the hospital. I'll be fine." He starts walking again with the help of Ronan. "I think I just need to lie down for a bit." 

Adam is disappointed to find that even with his eyes closed, he can still feel the world spinning around him. He tosses and turns a few times trying to find a position that doesn't hurt some part of his body. He eventually gives up. A while passes when he hears Ronan and Gansey in the other room whispering. Whispering about him. They must think he fell asleep. He opens his eyes. All of the color had returned to the room. He hears Ronan tell Gansey about the camera. Shame and embarrassment overwhelm him. It was bad enough that Ronan knew. Now Gansey. He felt like he would never be able to look Gansey in the eyes again.

"We have to give it to the police." That was Gansey's voice.  
" I know that, but I told Adam I wouldn't show anyone unless something happened."  
" Why did you tell him that? This is the only way to keep him safe. Did you see those marks on his neck? He really could have died this time, Ronan."  
" You think I don't know that!" Ronan raised his voice slightly. "I was scared he wasn't going to come with me! You know how he gets, Gansey! You should have seen him back there. He was in a bad way. I just told him what he wanted to hear so I could get him out of that house."  
"Well, where is the camera now?"  
"I hid it."

Ronan had lied to him. He was going to give the videos to the police. His uncle may hit him but deep down Adam knew he did it for his own good. He didn't hate his uncle. The thought of Robert going to jail made him sick to his stomach. He needed to find the camera. He slipped past Gansey's room and into Ronan's. He started tearing through everything, pulling clothes out of drawers, knocking things off of shelves.  
"Adam, stop!"  
"Where is the camera?"  
"You're going to hurt yourself."  
"Where did you put it?"  
"I hid it."  
"WHERE?" He demanded.  
When he didn't get a response he went back to knocking things off shelves. Ronan was standing behind him now.  
"It's not in here." Ronan said, just to get him to stop. "You need to calm down."

Adam turns around, looking Ronan directly in the eyes. "There's still time. I can still go back home with the camera. He'll never even know I was gone."  
If Ronan's hair was long enough to grip he very well may have pulled a few hand fulls out. Instead he punches the wall next to Adam making him flinch hard. "Fuck!"  
Without thinking, he grabs Adam roughly by the shoulders. "What is WRONG with you?" He yells harshly. Was this some sort of disorder? Did Adam have Stockholm Syndrome?  
"Ronan." Gansey warned.  
Ronan's expression softened instantly. He hated himself when he saw the look on Adam's face.  
He releases his hold on Adam and takes a step back with his hands raised as if he were a criminal showing he didn't have a weapon.  
"Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I'm not mad at you. Okay? I'm mad at your uncle, and I'm mad at myself for not doing anything sooner."

He didn't realize how badly living with Robert had fucked Adam up. He's known about Adam's uncle for so long now and what has he done to help? Adam was his friend and all he did was argue with him, making some half assed attempt to convince him to leave his uncle. He should have been more proactive like he had been today. He should have forced him to leave ages ago.

"You guys don't understand. You don't know how much he's done for me. He's given me a place to live. He has spent so much money on me. Clothed me, fed me." Ronan thought back to Adam's bare room and his belongings that barely even took up the space of one of the seats of his car.  
"He didn't have to take me in. He doesn't even like kids but he took me in anyway. He has tried to raise me well. It's my fault. I'm a fuck up. He only hits me because I can't follow simple rules."

Ronan couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Are you fucking kidding me? You're like the fucking poster boy of good behavior. News flash, Adam, normal parents don't beat their child within an inch of their life for coming home late. That's not normal! It also isn't normal to film it. He doesn't hit you to punish you, Adam. He does it because he enjoys it. He's clearly a sick fucking human being and you don't deserve what he did to you. What do I have to do to get you to understand that?"

Adam stood silently, avoiding both of their eyes. Gansey knew this conversation was going nowhere. Adam Parrish just couldn't be reasoned with. It wasn't in his nature. Gansey had to get through to him a different way. 

"How about we make a deal? We promise not to report your uncle as long as you live here with us and he stays far away from you."  
"That's what you said last time but I heard you two talking. You were going to report him behind my back."  
"I promise this time", Ronan said, and he meant it. "We'll even let you hold onto the camera." Gansey added, trying to convince him. Ronan cocked his eye at that. "But you have to promise us too. You have to promise you won't go back. We need to have mutual trust." Ronan scoffs "How is that mutual trust if he gets the camera?" Gansey gives him a glare. Whatever, it didn't matter. Ronan would give Adam the camera just as soon as he made copies onto his computer. He hated to think it but Adam just couldn't be trusted right now. Not with something like this.  
"Do we have an agreement?"  
Adam contemplates for a moment, still avoiding their eyes.  
"Okay."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter:  
> There is a misunderstanding when Adam becomes distant. Ronan worries that Adam is scared of him now.
> 
> Gansey advises Ronan to give Adam some space. This causes Adam to think Ronan is mad at him and he gets jealous of Ronan and Gansey's friendship.


End file.
